


The Theory of Letting Go.

by darlingjongin



Category: Puppy Honey, offgun, ทฤษฎีจีบเธอ | Theory of Love (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Rebound, Romance, Smut, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26671819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingjongin/pseuds/darlingjongin
Summary: Khai travels around the world to try and forget about his biggest regret. In the midst of unknown faces and late night drinks, there he finds someone who looks oddly like his best friend and the one that got away.
Relationships: Khai/Rome, Off Jumpol Adulkittiporn/Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat
Comments: 8
Kudos: 161





	The Theory of Letting Go.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't expect much, i wrote this a long time ago.

Khai was a traveller. Not because he wanted to be, but because he was running away from something. He didn't quite know what though. He told his parents he wanted to experience the world before he tied himself to a job and they were more than generous in helping him out. But he knew that wasn't the reason why he wanted to escape.

His old friends thought he was running away from the inevitable. The ongoing carnage that he knew he could never help fix, so he runs from it instead. It was selfish of him to leave his best friend right after graduation with no promise of return, but Third was also cruel. Cruel enough to kiss P'Un in front of him when he was just starting to get to grips with his ongoing feelings for the boy. Everything was too cruel for him to stay.

So, he does what he always does when things don't go his way. He leaves.

It was perfect. Manila, Paris, London, Tokyo. He's been in every major city that meant something, coursing through one night stands with strangers, midnight rendezvous and excessive drinking which had him throwing up almost every night.

But he wasn't uselessly wandering every city he was in. That was the plan at first, but he caught himself excessively looking at where he was, the beautiful atmosphere making him remember Third who he once thought he could never live without.

He would sometimes see him. When he walked past the market, he saw Third tiptoeing, trying to get a shirt from one of the higher racks and he couldn't help but laugh, remembering the times he would call out for his name, asking for him to reach for the shirt.

He sometimes saw Third drinking, a blurred vision of his best friend amidst the chaos of the club and he wanted to go to him. To ask him to dance, but he could never reach him. Even in his imagination, Third was unreachable.

Over the past couple of months since his graduation, Khai had been taking notes of each passing city, taking photos of the areas he found endearing and subconsciously painting a picture in his mind of infinite scenarios.

He ended up buying a laptop in New York, looking through the countless photos he'd collected and finding himself writing a script without a plan. He'd never written anything without Third and it was an odd experience, as if something was missing, but it wasn't like he could call Third up and ask him to come to New York to help him create a movie that's been stuck in his mind since he left Thailand.

Title: …

He stared at the screen and the front page was still empty despite his pages of notes on another tab. He couldn't think of what to call his project and he tried so hard to think of something, but his mind was blank. The only thing he saw was his best friend sitting in front of him with his legs crossed, eating his favourite snack whilst staring back at him.

_'Don't look at me. It's your story not mine'_

He heard Third's voice in his head, so vivid he could practically feel his breath on him.

Title: _my letter to you._

/

'Where are you now sweetie?', his mother called him in an ungodly hour, his head spinning from the alcohol, but he'd gotten really good at acting sober, so he stumbled to the kitchen of his air bnb, opening the fridge for some water.

'Mum, it's like three o'clock in the morning here in Ireland', Khai whined as he let the cold water shower his stomach, his forehead sweating and skin flushed red due to the alcohol.

'Oh, you're in Ireland? Last time you called, you were in New York?'

'I needed some peace and quiet', Khai admitted, which was true, so he opted to stay in Dublin for a couple of weeks.

'Well, sweetie, we hope you're having a good time, but your father wants to know when you'd be coming back to visit. We've missed you'

'Me too', Khai sighed as he leaned his head on the kitchen counter, looking over at the dark fields that he was surrounded in, 'Maybe in a month or so? Who knows. I'm currently working on something at the moment, but I promise to come back once I finish it'

* * *

Khai probably shouldn't have decided to spend the rest of his gap year in County Wicklow where there was a pub in almost every street for him to indulge in.

It's been weeks since he started his script but he couldn't get past the first act, so instead, he procrastinated, drinking at every pub he could find - which wasn't so hard in Ireland - until every single pub owner recognised him.

'Khai, what're you doing here? It's nine o'clock in the morning', Sean called out to him as soon as he opened the door to the Whelan's Pub with his laptop by his side.

'You've never been one to throw out customers', Khai joked as he sat down on one of the booths, 'I'll have the usual please!', he shouted at the bartender who simply laughed at him as he pointed a pint for the visitor.

Khai's English had improved over the last six months, and there's even a mixture of American accent with his Thai when he spoke. He'd started to feel more at home in the same village south of Dublin 

He stared at his laptop screen like he usually does, reading over what he wrote so far and feeling immense irritation at his sudden writer's block.

Third would've known what to do in this situation. In fact, now that he realised it, he had never been in a writer's block when he was with his best friend. It took him long to realise Third had been his muse all along, and by that point, it was too late to keep hold of him.

'You know, there's another tourist who just arrived yesterday', Sean walked over to hand him his pint, interrupting him from his blank thoughts.

'Is it?'

'Yeah, we rarely get visitors, and know we've got two', he chuckled, 'He said he was from Thailand as well. Maybe you can show him around since you've been here longer'

'I'm sure he'll make it around himself', Khai replied, not really in the mood to entertain strangers.

'I'm not sure about that. He looked like he needed some help'

Khai nodded since it's the only thing he can do, but he still had no interest in what Sean was saying. All he could do was stare at his screen and say the title blaring out at him with no signs of a story below.

He knew why he couldn't continue writing. What's the point of writing a story that never happened?

* * *

He decided to ditch the writing and found himself at the same bar. He still didn't know how to cook, so he opted to order the usual chicken and leek pie with a pint of beer as he spent another night getting drunk.

'Hey, Khai, how's your script going?', Samantha asked when she passed his meal to him.

'Not so good', he confessed, 'I have no idea where it's going'

'Maybe you need to find a muse', she suggested, feeling sorry for the lonely traveller.

'I'm afraid I lost mine a long time ago', Khai wasn't much to hold the conversation and the villagers found that out weeks ago, so Samantha left him on his own as she catered to the other customers, leaving Khai to daydream again.

His daydreams had become vivid over the past couple of months. That was because he hadn't seen Third for half a year now and it's been the longest he'd been apart from him. But he'd thought the distance would make him forget about the boy, but instead, it got him to remember every memory he had with his best friend, the small ones that made everything for him. He remembered the way Third looked in the middle on the night when he moved into his apartment, how peaceful he looked when he slept and how he only appreciated it now. He remembered the way Third shouted at him, trails of curses which cut him deep, not knowing why Third was suddenly angry with him. Everything still felt like it happened yesterday and he couldn't make himself forget.

His dreams slowly blurred into reality when he saw Third sitting on the end of one of the booths in front of him, sipping at a pint of beer and scrunching his face. He laughed a little. Third's never been much of a drinker.

Khai knew that no matter how many times he kept seeing Third in his mind, the boy would never turn to look at him. Even if he tried to stand up and walk to where he was, he would disappear before he ever got to him. He knew that always happened, but why was Third suddenly staring straight at him with wide curious eyes?

And why did he stand up and walked towards him?

'Hey, you must be the guy everyone's been talking about'

'Third?', he looked up when the boy started to speak in Thai, standing beside his booth, holding his beer, 'Is that you?'

'No. My name's Rome', the boy furrowed his brow in confusion, setting his beer down beside Khai and reaching his hand out, 'What's yours?'

This boy wasn't Third. Now that Khai was looking up close, his hair was swept to the side instead of combed down. He had on fitted clothes instead of the oversized shirts Third would wear and he had a sweet smile which disappeared from Third's face a long time ago.

No. This wasn't Third. But why was it, when he reached his hand out to shake the former, he felt his chest begin to widen and his breath caught the same way when Third was around?

'Khai', he replied.

* * *

'So, what's a Thai doing in Wicklow?', Khai asked as they walked out of the pub in the middle of the night. It was fucking cold, the wind chilly and piercing to the skin and he saw Rome shivering due to his lack of a jacket.

'I'm a photographer', Rome replied with chittering teeth, 'My company sent me to Ireland to take some photos for their upcoming spread of the country'

'Ah', Khai nodded, walking beside the boy. He was almost the same height as Third, maybe even slightly shorter. He felt sorry for the boy, he did still not use to the cold weather, so he decided to give in, taking off his jacket and throwing it to the boy, landing on his head.

'You should've packed a coat', he told him off, 'You should know how cold Ireland gets', be watched as Rome took off the coat which landed on his head, staring up at him as he put it on.

'Thanks', he smiled and Khai was confused at how passive he was. If he was Third, he would've grabbed the coat and thrown it back at him.

'Where's your hotel by the way?', Khai asked when they hit a fork in the road. The house he rented was on the road to the left and he stopped and waited for Rome to reply to him before he bid his farewells to the boy who looked oddly similar to his best friend.

'To the right', Rome pointed to the opposite direction.

'I'm heading left', Khai replied, staring at the boy. He couldn't help but feel amused at how big his jacket was on him, his hands hidden by the ends of the sleeves. He was starting to look more like Third, but maybe it was because of the darkness and the yellow artificial light from the street lamps, 'You can keep the jacket. It looks like you're gonna need it'

'Wait!', Rome shouted, stopping him from walking away.

'What?'

'Do you mind… If I spend more time with you?'

'As in… Come to my place?', Khai asked with a raised brow and a questioning tone.

'Uh… If that's okay with you?'

'You wanna come to a stranger's house?', Khai asked again, not really sure if Rome was joking or if he was truly naive, 'Have you not watched true crime documentaries?'

'Are you a serial killer?', Rome asked with a serious expression, which only made Khai laugh more at him.

'Uh, no. But no real serial killer would admit to that either', Khai added on.

'My gut instinct told me to trust you', Rome admitted a little too bluntly and the more time Khai spent with him, the more he realised how different he was from Third. He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

'Do you always trust your gut instinct?'

'Yeah', Rome confessed, 'It got me, my first love'

'Did it now?', Khai smiled, amused at how honest Rome was despite only meeting each other an hour ago. There was something about him, maybe his brash behaviour, or his playful he looked at him that pulled him in, 'You know what, if you can walk fifteen minutes in the cold, then you can spend the night at mine'

* * *

Rome was a traveller, but not because he liked it. It was simply part of the job. After breaking up with his long term boyfriend, he had no choice but to get up on his feet and try again no matter how broken his heart was.

Pick was the only person he ever thought about spending the rest of his life with, but when the man chose his father's approval over him, leaving to work for his father's hospital in the states, Rome was left to mend his own broken heart. He supposed running after Pick would sound desperate and it cut his pride at the thought of even considering it, so instead, he decided to focus on his own career, to prove to everyone wrong and that his whole world didn't revolve around Pick.

But it was getting too hard to keep up the facade because, in actuality, his whole world did in fact revolve around P'Pick. They'd been together since he was in freshman year college, so all of his future involved P'Pick on some form of way.

It wasn’t his fault for thinking this way. He’s always been a dreamer, one which consists of simple fantasies that wrapped around the daily life that he already shared with the boy who he managed to persuade to fall in love with him almost three years ago. All he asked was to stay with the way things were, but P’Pick was too infatuated with his father’s approval that he had lost the love he had kept for him. He could wallow in self-pity, but he thought it unproductive and a little naive to waste even one more minute for the boy when he wasted no time in deciding to abandon him.

No, he promised himself that he was going to start over, and maybe this time, he’d fall in love with the right one.

That was where his life took a turn. He’d seen way too many movies and he thought falling in love in a different country would do the trick in healing his broken heart. His parents were all too against in his decision, especially since they had fallen in love with Pick too, so they suggested he wait until Pick came back from America. But, they didn't need to have a say in his endeavours when he joined a travelling agency and worked under their PR department, thrusting him into the world of the unknown, taking photographs for their pamphlets and magazines whilst interviewing travellers about their experience. It brought him to places he never even dreamt of seeing in reality.

One was a county in the south of Dublin, the windy village being occupied by no more than ten thousand residents, and in fact, he was slightly nervous, since he seemed to be the only person of colour in the village - or so he thought.

‘We’ve got another foreigner in our village’, the pub owner chuckled as soon as he walked through the doors, smelling alcohol and garlic from the kitchen as he passed it.

‘Hello’, he greeted the friendly fellow. His English was a bit rocky and he was scared they wouldn't understand him, but he’d been travelling long enough to string a coherent sentence to get him through a day, ‘Do you happen to know where the Nag’s Head is?’, he asked, looking down at his phone and reading the bed and breakfast hotel his agency had booked for him.

‘Walk down the road and take a left’, the pub owner explained, ‘You’ll be able to see it’

‘Thanks’, he nodded. He felt bad not buying anything, so he opted to sit and order a pint before leaving to check into his hotel, looking around and admiring the old structure of the pub.

‘You know, there’s another traveller visiting here’, the bartender pointed out as he slid his glass of beer to him, ‘He comes here every night. If you get lonely, seek him out’

‘Another traveller?’, he asked, ‘Where is he from?’

Said he was from Thailand’

‘Oh really?’, Rome asked with a hint of surprise. He didn't expect someone from the same country to have landed in the most unpredictable place together, and unlike him, he bet that stranger has a better story as to why he was here. So, he decided to seek him out, promising himself to visit the very same pub he sat so early in the morning to try and find the stranger.

That was how he met a man named Khai.

* * *

‘This place is gorgeous’, Rome commented as soon as Khai turned on the lights to the house he’d rented. It was a cottage right outside the village and for a moment, he was scared Khai truly was a serial killer when they stopped walking in the main roads and had turned into the fields, walking in the darkness with nothing but their phone light to guide them. But when they arrived at the place, he couldn’t help but admire the interior woodwork. It looked and felt like it came straight out of a movie, ‘Where did you find this place?’

‘Air BnB mate’, Khai chuckled, ‘Plus it was cheap since it’s outside the city’

‘This looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale’, Rome admitted, walking around the first floor, opening every light until the whole house was brightly lit. It was as if the house had a life of its own, the way Rome watched Khai burn the fireplace with match sticks, watching the fire crackle as he sat on the fabric sofa.

‘And what is someone like you doing in Ireland?’, Rome finally asked, waiting for the stranger’s story as he walked to the kitchen. He heard the sound of the kettle screeching.

‘Are you still cold? I’ll make you a cup of tea’, Khai shouted from the other room, making Rome chuckle as he stood up and followed him into the kitchen. He leaned on the doorframe, watching the boy make two cups of tea.

For a moment, Khai reminded him of P’Pick. When they first moved in together, he wanted to decorate everything and he remembered slaving the day away trying to set their rooms until his back was aching and his forehead beading sweat. Pick was downstairs and he thought his boyfriend at the time probably thought he was weird for making a big deal out of it, but this was going to be their space, their place to be together and he wanted it to feel like home.

It wasn't until he came downstairs and he saw Pick preparing a snack for him along with ice tea did he realise that Pick knew how much this meant to him, finally moving in together, and he wasn’t going to stop him.

He felt warmth in Khai, a little faded, but it was still there.

‘You didn't answer my question’, Rome called out to him, still watching as he poured the hot water into the mug, ‘Why’re you in Ireland of all places?’

‘I needed a quiet place to write my film’

‘You’re a screenwriter?’, Rome asked with excitement.

‘I’m trying to be’, Khai corrected him, ‘I just graduated last year, so I’m taking a gap year before going back to work. I thought I’d try and use my break to good use and write’

‘You graduated last year?’, Rome asked, dropping his formalities, ‘So, you’re younger than me?’

‘Woah, what do you mean?’, Khai asked when he turned to laugh at the short boy, ‘You’re older? When did you graduate?’

‘Almost two years ago’

‘Oh shit’, Khai bit his lip, ‘Sorry’, he said with formality, ‘I just assumed you were younger’

‘It’s alright’, Rome replied, ‘I just assumed you were older’, he joked, earning a chuckle from the man.

‘So, I supposed you do realise what your suggestion sounded like when you asked to stay over at mine for the night’, Khai pointed out, leaning on the kitchen counter and folding his arms when he watched Rome stare at him.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You really are too naive for your age, P’Rome’, Khai smirked, ‘You sounded like you wanted to fuck me’

‘Excuse me?’, Rome looked at him with much shock in his eyes, ‘Since when?’

‘Oh, come on’, Khai laughed, holding onto the mug and passing it to him when he walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room, ‘No one stays at someone else’s house without fucking’

‘Are you gonna kick me out if I say I don’t wanna have sex with you?’

‘I’m not cruel’, Khai laughed at him, ‘I can sleep on the sofa. You can have the room upstairs’

‘Well, thanks for not ravishing me whilst I’m here’

‘Ravishing?’, Khai raised an amused brow at his choice of words, ‘You’re not a piece of meat and I had a feeling you asked to come here with a naive mind, so i didn't expect sex from you’

‘In all honestly, I didn't know you were gay’, Rome pointed out, sitting beside Khai as the latter lifted his feet up on the coffee table, turning on the TV to watch a rerun of a show he had no idea was about.

‘I didn't know either’, Khai whispered as he rested the warm ceramic cup on his lips, letting the hot tea.

‘What do you mean?’

There was no logical explanation as to why Khai was suddenly ready to unpack all the things he’d kept inside him when he got on the plane after his graduation. Even his parents and close friends didn’t know the tangled thoughts he’d kept inside him, but with the peace of the night and a warm cup of coffee, he thought what other time would be best to admit to his sudden realisation then with a stranger trapped inside his rented cottage.

‘I found out that I was in love with my best friend’, he admitted and it was as if the barbed wire wrapped around his constricted chest was slowly loosening with every worded confession, ‘I realised I’ve always loved him, but I was too ignorant to know’

‘Well, at least you’ve realised it now’, Rome commented, sipping his tea and taking off his shoes before he joined Khai’s feet on the coffee table, ‘There’s nothing more freeing than realising you’re in love’

‘Freeing?’, Khai scoffed, ‘Ever since I found out, I’ve never felt more suffocated’

‘Why do you feel suffocated? I’m sure falling in love with your best friend is the best feeling in the world’

‘Not when it’s too late’, Khai sighed, his cup almost half empty as he stared at the blaring screen, ‘He waited too long for me and I supposed his patience was running thin by the time I could catch up with him’

‘So, what happened?’

‘Isn’t it obvious?’, Khai turned to stare at the older man who still looked youthful, ‘I couldn’t catch up with him’

‘I’m sorry to hear that’, Rome whispered when he saw a flash of sudden blue across Khai’s eyes, the warmth in him was replaced by something cold, something dead and broken, ‘If you wanna feel relieved, my boyfriend of five years dumped me a couple of months ago too’

‘Oh really?’, Khai thanked Rome for reading the room and changing the subject with the silence loomed over them, ‘How comes?’

‘He’s complicated’, Rome sighed, finishing his drink and hugging the warm cup to his stomach, ‘He wanted to focus on other things. He’s the ambitious type’

‘He chose his career over you?’

‘More like his father’s approval’, Rome corrected him, ‘Which meant I was only gonna come second. So, despite feeling shit, I think this might be a blessing in disguise’

‘You’re a highly optimistic person’, Khai pointed out.

‘I have to be’, Rome replied, ‘Otherwise I might end up like you’, he joked, making Khai laugh. They spent another couple of minutes in silence, watching TV whilst Rome playfully tapped Khai’s foot beside him. At first, Khai didn't retaliate, trying to focus his attention on the screen, but when Rome continued playing with him, tapping his foot over and over again, he couldn’t help but break out into a small smile whilst he nudged Rome’s foot back, the pair playing footsies until they slowly fell asleep on the sofa.

* * *

Khai woke up with an aching neck. He looked around to realise he had crashed on his sofa, his eyes fluttering open to where he saw two mugs placed on the coffee table. What was even odd was something heavy pressed against his chest, and it was only when he turned did he see what exactly was pressing down on him - or in this case, who.

‘P’Rome?’, he mumbled, his voice croaky from the sleep as he nudged the older boy sleeping in his arms. He didn't even know how they got into this position, but he ought to wake the boy up, ‘Hey, wake up’

‘Mhmm, five more minutes babe’, Rome murmured, his lips pressed against Khai’s exposed chest, the latter couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment, staring down at Rome’s peaceful face. As if their position wasn’t compromising enough, he felt the boy’s arms wrap itself so tightly around his waist, pulling him into the embrace.

‘P’Rome, wake up’, he whispered, attempted to wake him up before he loses his mind.

‘Hmmm’, was the reply he got, but thankfully he saw the boy’s eyes opened slowly, ‘Where am I?’

‘Still, in my house’, Khai informed him, ‘I thought you’d have gone to my room to sleep’

‘I didn't know where it was’, Rome admitted as he sat up, wiping his lips from the drool.

Khai couldn’t help but laugh at the state of Rome’s hair, seeing it come to life on its own as the strands flew in different directions.

Third was also a messy sleeper, his oversized shirt slipping off his shoulder, his hair bending in all different directions and his eyes swollen from sleep. Khai had always thought he looked cute and how privileged he was to be the only person to see Third in such an innocent state.

Without thinking, he reached his hand out and stroked through Rome’s hair, combing it back down. He’d always wanted to do it with Third every morning when he saw his best friend walking out of his guest room that he’d made his own.

Rome, on the other hand, showed a hint of red in his puffy cheeks at the sudden action, but he did nothing to stop it. Pick had never been blatantly caring to him and it felt nice to feel someone’s fingers brushing through his hair.

‘Sorry’, Khai pulled away as soon as he released what he was doing.

‘It’s okay’, Rome replied shyly. An awkward silence flooded between them and Khai’s neck began to burn a bright red. Fuck, for someone who’d fucked around all his life, it felt fucking weird to suddenly start acting shy in front of someone.

‘Do you wanna have breakfast? I have some cereal stashed away’

‘Cereal would be great’

* * *

A habit had slowly formed in ways that Khai didn't think would be possible. Rome had stated that he’d only be in Ireland for three weeks, and in those weeks were filled with morning cups of coffee and late-night drinks at the bar, followed by a night well spent in Khai’s house.

It was odd. All too odd for Khai to so easily give in to someone new, letting the boy enter in his life without so much as a precaution as to what it might lead.

And for Rome, well… He was all too excited to be let in.

Khai’s home began to be filled with noises yet again.

‘What’re you doing?’, Khai asked one night when he heard loud music playing from downstairs, walking down the stairs to find Rome dancing on the coffee table to the sound of old jazz.

‘I found a stash of old records in one of the drawers’, Rome shouted, jumping from the sofa to the coffee table, swaying his hips as he smiled at him, ‘Wanna join me?’

‘No thanks’, Khai laughed as he passed the dancing boy, walking back to the kitchen where his laptop was still open. Call it coincidence, but Khai had slowly started to piece together enough words to keep his story going, writing every single day until his eyes were dried up from staring at the screen, his fingers aching yet his heart racing when everything slowly started coming to place. In the past two months he’d arrived in Ireland, he barely to string together a page, but within two weeks, he had enough material to finish his script in no time. Of course, this was his first draft and it might take another year to finalise the script, but at least his writer’s block was now slowly disappearing. He had no other choice but to admit it was because of the older bo dancing in his living room right now.

So much of him still reminded him of Third, but so much didn't. Rome was starting to become a person of his own and it was scaring him, because when he saw Rome as Third, he excused his racing heart as a desperate attempt to reignite the feelings he once felt for his best friend, but now that he sees Rome for who he was, he was too scared to admit that he was feeling the same feeling because he was starting to fall again, standing close to the edge of the cliff and only waiting for the right moment to jump.

It took him four years to realise his feelings for Third, so why in the hell did it only take him two weeks to admit to himself that he may have taken a liking for the older boy?

‘Are you gonna tell me what you’re script is about or are you gonna keep it a secret for me?’, Rome asked when the song changed to something slower, a saxophone accompanying a melody that was raspy yet sweet. Rome skidded his socks into the kitchen, wanting to look at the screen, but Khai turned it quickly.

‘It’s about my best friend’, Khai said.

‘Ah, the one you fell in love with, right?’, Rome commented. He didn't know why he allowed the boy to take his unrequited love so slightly, but he guessed there was healing in mockery, ‘So, are you gonna imagine a happy ending for the two of them or are you gonna keep it realistic?’

‘I don’t know yet’, Khai admitted, ‘I’m nowhere near close to the end’

‘Maybe because you know deep down you don’t want it to end’, Rome pointed out.

‘Are you trying to analyse me, P’Rome?’

I’m only stating the obvious’, Rome shrugged, leaning on the wall, ‘If you don’t want it to end, why don’t you come back to Thailand and ask him to trust you again?’

‘It’s more complicated than that’

‘No it’s not’, Rome interrupted him, ‘I chased down my ex for god knows how long. I waited for him and he came’

‘And left rather quickly’, Khai added on, he didn't mean to sound spiteful, but it ended up being like that. He quickly regretted it and he turned his gaze to watch Rome’s smile slowly fade.

‘Yeah, well that’s the sad part, isn’t it. You don’t know how long it’ll last’, Rome admitted, ‘But that doesn’t mean i regretted loving him. I didn't regret waiting for him, because even when he left me, I’ll always remember that he once chose me, and that’s more than I could ever ask for’

His naivety suddenly turned into wisdom, making Khai think for a second as he wondered what would’ve happened if he confronted Third at the party. What would’ve been if he told his best friend how much pain he was in when he saw him kiss their Senior. Would Third have finally given him a second chance?

‘I think a what if should stay the way it is’, Khai answered, ‘I don’t think I’ll ever be prepared to love Third, and I think he deserves someone better than me’, he admitted, more to himself than to the boy standing in front of him, ‘That’s why I ran away, because if I stayed, I would’ve been selfish enough to try and win Third back when he deserves to experience a world where he’s not hurt all the time. I would’ve kept him to myself like the selfish prick that I am’

‘At least you’re self-aware’, Rome pointed out, ‘Not a lot of people can admit to that. Not even P’Pick’

‘Was that your boyfriend’s name?’

‘Yeah’

‘Well, in my opinion, I think P’Pick lost his biggest treasure when he left you’

‘I think so too’, Rome smirked, making Khai chuckle and easing the tension that had grown between them in a split second.

* * *

‘I’m going back to Bangkok next week’, Rome commented one morning when they were having coffee in a nearby cafe in the town centre, ‘When are you coming back to Thailand?’

‘I don’t know’, Khai shrugged, ‘When I finish my script’

‘And when do you think that’ll be?’

‘A couple more months’, he replied, ‘I still haven’t worked out the ending yet’

‘So, I guess I’ll be leaving the rookie writer without the hopes of seeing him again huh?’, Rome joked, but despite his wide grin, Khai felt as though there was sadness in his tone.

‘You wouldn’t wanna know me for too long’, Khai tried to ease the growing inevitability, ‘I’m someone who ruins everything the longer you stay’

‘Don’t torture yourself like that’, Rome pointed out, leaning back on his chair, ‘You’ve made mistakes and it’s your job to forgive yourself if you wanna move on’

‘I can’t forgive myself if he hasn’t forgiven me’, Khai replied.

‘Then go see him. Come back to Bangkok with me and talk to him again. Why waste your time avoiding?’

‘Because I don’t want him to forgive me yet’, he replied truthfully, ‘He waited three years for me and if I can’t go through six months of what he went through, then what kind of scum am I?’

‘So you’re gonna lock yourself away for three years? Like fucking Rapunzel?’

‘Exactly’, Khai raised his coffee cup in a joking agreement, but Rome found no amusement in his self conflicted torture.

‘I may not know his story, but he chose to keep his feelings hidden from you for three years. Why do you need to torture yourself for his choices?’, Rome asked, crossing his arms and waiting for Khai to answer.

‘You’re right, you don’t know his story, and neither do I’, Khai nodded, ‘But I’d be damned if I put all the blame on him’, he stood up once he finished his coffee, grabbing his bag and walking out of the coffee shop without Rome. He knew the boy meant well, but he didn't like the idea of how easily he can put his opinions on things that had nothing to do with him.

‘Hey, Khai, wait. Wait!’, Rome raised his voice as he abandoned his half-finished coffee, opening the door and racing to catch up with him, zipping the jacket the boy gave to him on the first day they met, ‘Wait!’

Rome reached his hand out to grip onto Khai, stopping him before he could disappear, ‘Look, I’m sorry for being insensitive. I didn't mean to be’

‘Well, next time, don’t poke your nose into other people’s business, huh?’, Khai turned to stare down at the older boy, his condescending tone oozing with annoyance.

‘I said I was sorry’, Rome repeated himself, a small pout forming on his lower lip, one which Khai noticed straight away since the boy always had a habit of pouting when he felt wronged, ‘I only have a week left, can’t we spend the rest of it not fighting?’

Restless fights was something Khai was sick and tired of. It ruined his graduation when he fought with Third and it was the last conversation they had before he left and he regretted every little bit of it. So, he couldn’t help but give in so to avoid his past mistake, sighing out a big gasp as he looked down at Rome.

‘Fine. What do you wanna do?’

/

Khai found himself hiking in one of the mountains beside the village, his hair being swept by the furious winds, breathing in cold air which froze his lungs as he continued climbing.

‘Jesus’, he whispered to himself as he grabbed hold onto the grass, sitting down on the slope as he continued to look at Rome, watching him take countless photos of the view, which was exquisite. He’d been in Ireland for months, yet he never dared climbed up here to see the wondrous landscape the country had to offer.

But it wasnt the view that made his stare longer, it was the expression of peace on Rome’s face as he lifted his camera up, his hair swept back and showing his forehead. Khai found it interesting to watch Rome. He was in fact a photographer and it wasn’t odd to see him passionate, yet it intrigued him, made him feel intimate with the man standing three feet away from him.

He couldn’t help but take out his phone, stealing hidden shots of the short boy standing in the middle of the fielded slope.

He almost wished Rome wasn’t leaving.

‘You’re beautiful when you’re taking photos’, Khai commented when they started to walk back down the mountain when the sun began to set, a course of orange lighting up the skies before the sun bid its final goodbye for the day.

‘You were looking at me?’, Rome laughed, letting his camera hang from his neck, ‘No one’s ever looked at me when I work’

‘Good’, Khai replied with a smirk on his face, ‘That means I’m the only one who can see you like this’

* * *

‘Can I tell you a secret?’, Khai confessed on their walk down to Khai’s rented cottage.

‘What?’

‘You look just like Third’

‘You’re best friend?’, Rome asked, and when Khai nodded, he sighed a bit of relief.

‘Good. You kinda reminded me of P’PIck’

‘Does he look like me?’

‘Yes’, Rome admitted, and without admitting it to each other, they’ve admitted that they were initially intrigued with one another due to the genuine likeless they shared with the person they can’t seem to forget, ‘But you’re slightly more handsome’, Rome whispered, a small confession he didn’t wish to admit but he did nonetheless because he had taken a liking to Khai. Sure, he looked like a spitting image of his long-term ex, but he also carried himself in a different manner, one that is much calmer than P’Pick’s nature.

‘So, you’re not offended that I may have wanted to get close to you because of Third?’

‘How can I when I was using you for the same reason?’, Rome replied nonchalantly. He didn't expect for Khai to start laughing all of a sudden, an act that he found endearing yet odd since Khai always seemed to laugh at the most inappropriate time without proper explanation.

‘Rebound without sex, huh?’, he pointed out when he saw how confused Rome was just staring at him, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that term before’

‘Well, I’m glad I’m your first for something’, Rome pointed out as they walked the cobbled path to the secluded cottage that Rome was surely going to miss. Despite finding out that Khai had always been a city boy, he couldn’t help but think how the quiet life suited the rather lonely boy. He would wake up to the chirping noises of the birds, stretching his arms as he stole some of Khai’s clothes, wrapping himself to the scent of cologne as he walked down the creaking stairs, being welcomed to the sight of the boy sitting by the window sill, typing away in his laptop as the streams of morning sunlight passed through the glass window, shining his brown eyes into golden hues. He looked at peace and more importantly, beautiful.

The city boy felt more at home with the green fields and silent morning than the bustling streets and crowded trains. 

‘If you’re that curious, we can totally fuck’, Rome pointed out as soon as they stepped into the cottage, Khai almost tripping over himself at the sudden blunt offer from the older boy.

‘Ever the subtle type, huh?’, Khai turned to look at Rome as he took off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack as they made their way to the kitchen.

‘I have a feeling I won’t be seeing you again after I leave Ireland’, Rome said to him and he spoke out about the inevitable that Khai had been thinking about whenever he watched Rome sleep on the sofa after a long day of exploring the village and taking photos.

Someone who spent their whole life fucking around and wasting no time for such long term relationship suddenly found it hard to believe that he’d be departing from Rome after one three weeks. It put his mind in motion, wondering how Third could make such an impact on him that he was now yearning for something he was truly afraid of having - a proper fucking relationship.

Just a small taste of it from Third and he was pining for it. 

But maybe it wasn’t Third’s doing. Maybe all his best friend did was open his eyes to the possibility of a warm hug which lasted longer than the night, and that Rome was the person he could have that with.

It took four years for Khai to fall in love with Third, but it only took three weeks for him to fall for Rome. He’d gone soft. He could admit to that.

‘No one’s ever this blunt when asking for sex’, Khai said when the question still loomed over them, like a scent above their heads, unseeable, but still felt.

‘You said you only realised you weren’t straight when you fell for your best friend. I’m guessing you’ve never had sex with a guy before?’

‘And how is that any of your business?’, Khai asked, a little on the defensive side, since he was a fucking casanova back at home and the only reason why Rome would even be asking such a question was that he’d only ever met the defeated Khai, ‘I know how it works by the way. I don’t need anyone to teach me’

‘But you’ve never done it, right?’

‘And what’s it to you?’

‘I’m just saying’, Rome chuckled when Khai started to show his defensive side, one he definitely didn’t mind poking fun of, ‘I’m older than you, remember? Maybe I can teach you a thing or two’

‘For a short man, you truly have a large confidence’

‘And for a prideful man, you sure are curious in what I have to say’, Rome smirked, leaning on the wall of the hallway, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt, welcoming Khai to play along as he stepped his foot playfully on the latter.

* * *

Khai’s never gonna see him again. That’s what he said to himself when he felt Rome dig his nails on his back as he sucked on his neck, feeling Rome tightness around his fingers.

‘Shit’, Rome whined when Khai’s slender fingers slid reluctantly inside him. It didn’t take long for Khai to pin Rome against the wall, dipping his lips down to his when he unbuttoned his shirt, their journey to the bedroom long and tedious, filled with moans and aggressive pulling as the practically crawled up the stairs with Khai’s strong arms around his waist whilst they made out. 

It took little than a second for Khai to rip his shirt off, the buttons landing with a thud on the wooden floors. Least to say, it also wasn’t hard to believe that Khai already had a stash of condoms and lube hidden somewhere in his bedside drawers and he almost laughed when they had to stop whilst Khai struggled to open the lube.

Despite how inexperienced Khai was, his confidence definitely made up for it.

‘Fucking hell’, Rome moaned out. For the sake of his dignity, he should’ve suppressed his moans, but Khai’s fingers were hitting all the right spots and he’d be damned if he wasted his energy trying to stop himself. They were in the middle of nowhere anyway, so no one could hear them. They were in their own bubble and with the security of each other, they could do whatever the fuck they wanted.

Khai, on the other hand, had never been more amused during sex. Everything was wired down to getting himself off during sex, but this time, he genuinely enjoyed Rome’s company, so much so, that he suddenly wanted to take his time, to stare at the way Rome bit his lip and curled his fingers on his back. He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

‘Finding this amusing?’, Rome managed to string in a sentence when he heard the deep chuckled, ‘I thought you were inexperience’

‘Just because I’ve never had sex with another guy, doesn’t mean I haven’t had sex at all’, Khai replied, ‘I know how to make someone feel good’

‘God, you’re so full of yourself… _Ah’,_ Rome moaned at the last bit when he felt Khai’s fingers move so rhythmically with his body. Instead of bickering, Khai decided to end their conversation by biting Rome’s lips, dipping his tongue inside and kissing him. 

‘P’Rome, can I put it in now?’, Khai whined his name, feeling like he was gonna burst any minute just by the sounds the older boy was making, shuddering underneath him.

‘Go on’, Rome nodded his head. He widened his legs a little, wrapping it around Khai’s waist as he felt Khai enter him slowly. He whined a little from the intrusion, burying his head on the crevice of Khai’s neck, sucking on his skin and leaving purple bruises all over him.

Khai felt a tightness around him and he couldn’t help but groan, trying to control himself when Rome asked for him to go slow first. He valued the boy’s request, so despite his need, his thrusts were slow, a rhythmic motion which connected the two of them until they were breathless and clinging onto each other.

‘Faster’, Rome suddenly begged when he’d gotten used to Khai, clinging onto his neck.

Khai on the other hand didn’t need to be told twice, his self control slowly slipping, his pace quickening with every thrust, tracks of red all over his back from Rome’s nails.

‘P’Rome’, he moaned the boy’s name straight into his ears, licking down his neck when he felt a tingling sensation coursing through his veins, one which he’d never felt before, ‘Fuck’

‘Khai…’, Rome whispered his name back, a form of declaration that he in fact saw the boy in front of him as a man of his own demeanour and not a copy of his ex-boyfriend who he thought he could never forget.

Just with a simple mixture of fate and coincidence, he managed to moan out some else’s name whilst he neared his release, latching his lips onto Khai’s as he felt himself let go, spending the night in somebody else’s arms without even the dire thought of his old love on his mind.

* * *

Morning came and Rome found himself not in the least bit sticky. He looked down under the sheet to find his naked body cleaned and washed much to his surprise. Khai’s side of the bed was empty, which meant the latter had woken up earlier than him. He looked around and there he found his clothes folded neatly on the chair beside the bed, although in replacement of his ripped shirt was Khai’s instead.

He blushed at the thought of Khai taking care of him whilst he was sleeping, cleaning him up whilst preparing his clothes for the morning.

He found the man in question sitting by the same window sill he found him in every morning, in a shirt and sweatpants whilst he drank a cup of coffee, looking at his laptop screen and typing away.

‘When did you wake up?’, Rome asked as soon as he made it to the kitchen, making Khai look up from his screen to him.

‘A little over an hour ago’, Khai admitted, a smile forming on his lips when he saw Rome wearing his shirt. The boy had taken the habit of wearing his clothes whenever he stayed over, but there was something more beautiful about him this morning, a glow he couldn’t quite place.

‘Thanks by the way’, Rome said to him as he made his way over to the kettle, making himself a cup of coffee.

‘For what?’

‘For taking care of me last night’, he replied, ‘Not a lot of people would do that’

‘I suppose it’s just common courtesy at this point’, Khai jokes, winking at him as he pointed at Rome's neck. The latter walked up to the small-sized mirror hanging in the hallway, seeing his neck filled with hickeys, reddish and purple all over his skin.

Rome should probably be angry at Khai for immaturely leaving hickeys all over his neck, but he couldn’t help but blush instead, biting his lip to hide a smile. P’Pick had always been too scared to leave a mark anywhere near his body. It wasn’t like he was ashamed of their relationship, but more so he was scared of being made fun of, so he would always hold himself back. Khai, no matter how arrogant he was, wasn’t afraid to show off. 

‘Let’s hope this disappears by the time I leave, otherwise, I have a lot of explaining to do to my parents when I arrive at the airport’

‘Ah right’, Khai nodded, being reminded once again that Rome’s presence was limited and that he’d be back in Thailand in less than a week now, ‘You’re going back home’

‘Like I said. You can come with me if you want’, Rome stood by his suggestion, sitting in front of Khai as he drank his coffee, observing his expression and hoping to see a crack of agreement in his eyes, ‘You can finish your script in Thailand’

‘I’m afraid that’s not possible’, Khai sighed, ‘I need to finish it here’

‘Why’s that?’

‘Because this is where I met you’, he confessed, a little opening to the ending of the script that he had thought of when he woke up this morning, seeing Rome’s peaceful face snuggled on his chest.

‘Don’t tell me you’re gonna add me to your script?’, Rome jokes, but he felt his skin burn at the indirect confession from Khai, ‘Am I gonna be your happy ending?’

‘No’, Khai shocked his head, chuckling when he stretched his legs, his feet touching Rome’s from under the table, pressing his toes down on his until he felt the former playing back, ‘There’s no such thing as a happy ending, there’s just the morning after. And I don’t mind seeing you every morning after’

* * *

‘So, this is my home address, come visit me when you’ve finished your script. And yes, I moved back in with my parents, but don’t judge me, I couldn’t afford to keep paying rent in my old apartment’, Rome was chatty, more so than his usual and Khai couldn’t help but grin when he realised Rome was nervous.

They were standing in the middle of the airport, Rome’s bags already checked in and all that’s left for him was to go through security and depart from Khai who had offered to drop him off.

‘Oh, and this is my work address. If I’m not home and you really wanna see me, I’d most likely be here’, Rome kept on giving him folded post-it notes of addresses and phone numbers, excitedly leaving traces of him to the boy who suggested to stay longer in his life. No one had willingly chosen him first before, and it felt euphoric, to say the least.

‘P’Rome, calm down’, Khai reached down his hands to hold onto his, stopping him from jittering too much, ‘I’ll come to see you as soon as I return to Thailand, okay?’

‘Call me’

‘You know I won’t’, Khai chuckled when Rome glared at him after denying his suggestion, ‘I’m gonna be busy writing and if you call me, I’d be too distracted to finish it. Do you want me back soon or not?’

‘Fine, fine’, Rome whined, being forced to agree, ‘Don’t forget me in the meantime, okay?’

‘I’ll try not to’, Khai jokes, earning him a punch on the arm but it was replaced by a sudden hug from the short man, Rome tiptoeing as he rested his head on his shoulders.

‘Don’t change your mind on me, okay?’

‘I won’t’, Khai whispered, leaning in to kiss Rome’s lips, ‘I promise’

Khai watched as Rome walked away, but there was no sense of fear or loneliness when the boy disappeared from his sight. In fact, there was a feeling of hope coming from the boy who thought he would never meet anyone that gave him the sense of belonging that Third gave him.

He walked out of the airport feeling relaxed for the first time in almost a year.

* * *

‘Hello?’

‘Hey, is this still Bone’s number?’

‘Khai?! Is that you? Where the fuck have you been?’

‘In Ireland’

‘I beg your fucking pardon?!’

‘Look, I’ll explain later. Right now I’m working on a script and it’s nearly finished. Do you mind taking a look at it? I think I’ve got something good here’

* * *

**One Month Later**

Rome still worked for the travelling agency, but he had switched to part-time when he started to take a sudden interest in film. He didn't know whether he had allowed Khai to influence him this much that he was applying to production companies, but he found himself being hired to take promotional photographs for upcoming films and series.

He had taken a liking at watching the creations of stories and he imagined actors and directors bringing to life Khai’s work, the one he’d been writing since the first time he met him. Maybe he missed the boy to the point where he wanted to feel close to him however way he could.

The production team that hired him was a newly made one, so most of their series were self-funded projects and they needed all the help they could get and he was happy to give it to them.

He walked around on set, taking photos of the actors in the makeshift dressing room, looking around the camera and sound team whilst passing by the director’s chair.

It seemed as though fate still had something stored for him when he passed a boy who looked eerily like him. He froze for a moment at the likeness but he was sent breathless when he heard someone shout the boy’s name.

‘Third, come over here!’

The name ringed through his ears and he watched the boy run-up to the sound team, discussing something he couldn’t quite hear.

_I fell in love with my best friend._

Out of curiosity, he walked closer towards the director of the project, listening to his voice for the first time. There was something frightful about seeing Third in reality. In spoken words, Rome could imagine the boy as a work of fiction, an imaginary character which he could hide away when he thought of Khai, but when reality hit him and he was presented with Third in the flesh, he realised that no past could be hidden away and that somewhere out there in the world, Khai’s biggest what if would be walking around.

He followed Third behind, making sure there was a good distance between them as he hid behind crews and trees, watching him help the actors whilst walking over to the dressing room. He was so enthralled with the man that he didn't notice Third look down on an attended phone which pinged beside him, making him look down subconsciously at the noise.

‘Who’s phone is this?’, he asked suddenly when he picked it up with wide eyes, looking at the photo on the screen.

It wasn’t until Rome saw the lock screen did he realise he left his phone in the dressing room.

‘That’s mine’, he raised his voice, finally introducing himself to Third as he stepped back from the curtains, raising his hand and grabbing his phone.

‘You know Khai?’, of course, that was his first question when he met Rome. His phone was filled with Khai, photos of him in the pub, sitting in the kitchen, hiking up a mountain. Of course, the first thing that connected him with Third was Khai, fate wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘Yeah’, he admitted, sliding his phone in his pocket.

‘How do you know him? Did you go to our college?’

‘I don’t think so’, Rome shook his head, ‘I met him whilst travelling for work’

‘Travelling? Where? When?’

‘About a month ago in Ireland’

‘Ireland?’, Third raised his brow, ‘What’s he doing in Ireland’

‘Trying to forget you’, he replied honestly, which took Third back as he stared at him, ‘You must be Third’, if Khai was here, he’d have shouted at him for poking his nose in his business again, but the fact of the matter was, Khai wasn’t here and Rome was a brave soul wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.

‘He spoke about me?’

‘He wouldn’t stop if I’m being honest. He kept going on about how stupid he was for realising his feelings for his best friend so late’

‘Excuse me?’, Third snorted when he felt like Rome was talking shit, crossing his arms, ‘Maybe we’re talking about a different Khai’

‘Do you know any other Khai who left the country after graduating in an attempt to get over his feelings for his best friend called Third?’, Rome replied back, which slapped the scoffed expression on Third’s face, feeling him blank and numb all of a sudden.

‘What?’

‘I think what I’m trying to say is. He was in love with you’

‘Don’t trust Khai’s words too much. He had a habit of lying’, Third whispered to him after a moment of silence flooded between them.

‘You don’t have to believe me. I just think it’s only fair for you to know before I take him for myself’

‘I beg your pardon?’, Third felt as if Rome was throwing him one surprise punch after another for mere seconds of just meeting each other, ‘Are you telling me you’re going out with Khai?’

‘No. Not yet anyway’, Rome answered, ‘I’m waiting for him to come back’

‘Right… Waiting’, Third couldn’t help but chuckle, ‘He always makes everyone wait for him. He’s a selfish prick like that’

‘True as that may be, but I’m willing to wait for him’, Rome confessed, ‘I’ve never been anyone’s first choice, but I think he might finally be the one to choose me’

‘Don’t get your hopes up’, Third warned him, ‘I thought that too and I ended up waiting for four years’

* * *

**Three Months Later**

Khai promised he would visit Rome first as soon as he came back to Bangkok, but when his parents greeted him at the airport and drove him back to the daily house where Chawee was waiting for him in the garage, he went to Hod Production’s office first.

He’d finally finished his script and he promised Bone he would give it to their production team in exchange for a screenwriting job. He knew by asking, he’d have to face Third again, but he didn't feel nervous about it anymore. He’d been running away from the inevitable for too long and he supposed he needed to close the hatchet between him and Third before he could even begin to move on with his life.

See, the moment he decided to leave Thailand, he had accidentally pressed pause on his whole life, going through events without the notion of improving his life and it wasn’t until Rome came and forced him to press play again.

‘Look who we have here. Why it isn’t the man of the hour, Khai and his return from the unknown!’, Bone, who had been expecting him since morning, looked outside the window of their office and saw Chawee parked by the side of the road, Khai taking off his helmet and resting it on the handle.

Third and Two followed his gaze as soon as he shouted the name they had forgotten and they almost fell off their seats at the sight of the boy who disappeared on them almost a year ago.

‘Is that really Khai?!’, Two shouted as he stood up and ran up to Bone, running out of the office to where Khai leaned on his bike, waiting for Bone to arrive only to see the rest of the gang join him.

‘Hey guys’, he waved at them, laughing when Two ran up to him, punching him on the arm and caging him in a headlock.

‘Where the hell have you been, you bastard?!’, he shouted, ‘We thought you’d never come back!’

‘Two, get off me’, Khai shouted, punching his arm as he pushed his friend away, breathing in a gasp of air when he managed to escape, ‘Am I not allowed to take a break?’

‘Take a break? You ran away without explanation, but to you, it’s a break? What a selfish bastard’, their moment of blissful reunion was cut short when Third spoke, the three of them turning to look at the amused man who glared at Khai.

‘Hey Third’, Khai smiled at him, seeing his best friend for the first time in a year. Third had been out of his sight for a long time, yet he still missed him all the more, a wave of longing punching through his stomach - but it was a different type of longing - the one where he wished he could have his best friend back, ‘I’ve missed you’

‘Liar’, Third replied, immuned to Khai’s sweet words, ‘Just tell us what you’re doing here’

‘I’ve written a movie’, Khai replied, smiling when he saw how aggressive Third was being, it was different from how passive he used to be, but he guessed he wasn’t the only one that changed during the past year, ‘I made a deal with Bone that you guys will take it in exchange for my rightful spot in the company’

‘Over my dead body’

‘Sorry Third… But I already accepted his request’, Bone confessed as he awkwardly turned and smiled innocently at Third.

‘Are you insane?’, Third shouted at him, ‘There are other amazing writers we could’ve signed with, why the fuck would you allow Khai to join?’

‘I’ve read his script. It’s fucking amazing’

‘No script is amazing enough for me to allow Khai into the company’

‘Not even if the movie’s about you?’, Khai pointed out, interrupting the argument between the two, forcing everyone to stare back at him with wide shocked eyes.

‘Excuse me?’, Third asked him, not believing he heard correctly.

‘I wrote the script about you’, Khai blatantly admitted, ‘Well, not particularly about you, but what could’ve been if… I mean, if you read the script, you’d know’

‘Could’ve been?’, Third repeated his words, ‘As in…’

‘What could’ve happened if I realised my feelings for you sooner’

‘You had feelings for Third?!’, Bone and Two shouted at him when Khai so smoothly confessed the feelings he’d kept inside for so long.

‘I’m sorry I was too late’, Khai said to Third, directing his gaze to the boy he regretted loving late, ‘But I still want you to know, you’ll always be my best friend. Even if you hate me because I’m a selfish prick who still wants you in my life’

‘Oh my God, you still love Third?’, Two gasped when he stood beside Third, gripping his arm like an excited puppy.

‘I do still love you’, Khai nodded, ‘As a friend who’s been by my side. But…’

‘Let me guess. You met someone in Ireland?’, Third said before he could finish his sentence and this shocked Khai more than the other two.

‘How do you know?’

‘Just a hunch’, Third shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

‘I’m sorry’, Khai said again and with that, he said all there needed to be said to his best friend, separating once Bone persuaded Third to accept Khai’s script, to which the latter accepted with clenched teeth.

But Khai needed to go because he had someone else to persuade.

* * *

He didn't know whether Rome would still be at work or at home, so he opted to drive to his work office first, just in case he was working overtime.

He never forgot about the boy when he was in Ireland, to the point where he almost broke his own rule, itching to call him so he could hear his voice.

But he kept himself controlled, because he knew once he returned, the sight of Rome’s face would feel more fulfilling after the gruelling months of writing in loneliness. He was excited to be reunited with the stranger he fell in love within three weeks.

His work building was close to Hod Productions and he was parked outside in no less than twenty minutes, resting his helmet on the handlebars and pulling out his phone. He had saved Rome’s number on his phone, calling the number for the first time and waiting for the boy to pick up.

‘Hello?’, the simple greeting made Khai smile immediately, hearing his voice again after four months, ‘Hello, who’s this?’

‘You were too busy giving me your number that you forgot to ask for mine, huh?’, Khai replied after taking a second to listen to Rome’s voice.

‘Khai?’, Rome gasped over the phone.

‘I’m back’, he replied, not needing to confirm it since he knew Rome also recognised his voice, ‘I’m outside your work office. Please tell me you’re still at work’

‘Are you fucking kidding me?! Are you fucking joking?!’, the usual soft-spoken boy started cursing as soon as Khai announced his return, followed by gasping and that’s when he realised Rome had started running, ‘Where are you?’

‘I was just about to go to the station’, he shouted over the phone, ‘Stay there, I’m coming back’

‘God, maybe I should’ve gone to your house instead’, Khai chuckled, finding it amusing that Rome was running after him. He walked away from his bike, looking from left to right in hopes to spot Rome.

‘I see you’, Rome finally gasped out over the phone and before Khai could ask where he was, he had hung up the phone. Khai squinted his eyes and tried to look for Rome but he was nowhere to be seen.

But then suddenly, he felt a great impact hit his back, almost toppling him over as he felt arms wrap itself around his waist, turning him over.

‘You chose me’, Rome said with his voice muffled as he pressed his head on Khai’s shirt.

‘Why would you think I wouldn’t?’, Khai chuckled as he stepped back, looking down at Rome who was flushed red and breathless from running, laughing as he fixed his hair, combing it back and taming it, ‘I promised I would, right?’

Rome formed a huge grin, smiling at Khai as he tiptoed and pressed his lips against the latter.

‘I’ve missed you’

‘Me too’, Khai confessed, pulling Rome into another hug, ‘I saw a good looking cafe whilst on the way here. Do you wanna go and get some coffee?’

‘Mhmm’, Rome nodded, still not ending the embrace he’d long for.

Khai had let go of his biggest regret, but he didn’t mind because he had gained something else, something worthwhile that he knew he didn't want to miss.


End file.
